A Ripple In Time
by Chrmdpoet
Summary: Emma is on her way to Granny's when a teen version of Regina Mills seemingly pops out of thin air and smacks right into her. Emma and present-day Regina must work together to figure out why the curious young teen is there and how to send her back before the past is irreparably changed, thus altering their entire lives in the present. Young!Regina AU. Rated T, subject to change.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a little mini fic that was prompted to me on tumblr. It started out as a drabble, but then I received so many requests to continue, that it has now become a running mini-fic. The prompt was for either Emma or Regina to meet a younger version of the other and shenanigans ensue.**

**I will update a new chapter every time I build up a few new drabbles to compile together. I hope you enjoy this little fic. XO-Chrmdpoet**

A Ripple in Time

Chapter One

"But I don't understand," Emma said, scratching at her head and staring at this younger and much more smiley version of Regina Mills. She still wasn't quite over the shock of the girl's sudden appearance. "How did you get here?"

"I am unsure," the younger Regina answered, biting her lip nervously as her widened eyes glanced around the strange place she had suddenly appeared in. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a singular braid and it fell over her shoulder as she turned her head right and left rapidly, trying to take in all of the detail.

"Oh my," she said, gasping and pointing beyond Emma. Emma turned to see a car driving past. "What is that strange contraption?" Regina squinted to see that a person was actually inside the large machine. She gasped again with the realization. "Tis a mode of transportation!" she practically squealed. "Oh my!"

Emma chuckled softly as she tried not to melt at how incredibly adorable this version of Regina was. She had yet to be hardened by the trials that she would later endure.

"Yeah, it's called a car."

"A car," Regina repeated. "It is truly amazing."

"Yeah, I guess it is if you think about it," Emma agreed, still laughing softly.

Regina turned to lock gazes with her then, and Emma could've sworn she could see the younger woman's soul in those deep chocolate pools. She was so open, so bright. It was breathtaking to witness, because despite her mother's stories of the young Regina, Emma had always had a hard time picturing such a thing.

The only Regina she knew was the hard-ass, quick-witted Mayor Regina, who was still entirely lovable in Emma's opinion, but definitely not soft and innocent and trusting like this young woman seemed to be.

"Emma, was it? Do I _know_ you?" Regina asked, narrowing her eyes.

Ah, Emma thought, there's some of that classic Regina-Mills suspicion.

"Yeah, well, not YOU you," Emma said, scratching at her head again. How the hell was she supposed to explain this? She didn't even know what the hell was going on, and though the rational part of her knew she should call Regina, uh…present-day Regina, another part of her just wanted to keep this younger, sweeter Regina a secret—all to herself. "But the future you. You're uh…you're quite a ways into the future."

The young Regina gasped again, her eyes widening comically. "The future?" she asked. "Have I been transported here with magic?"

"I think so."

"Oh my gods," Regina said quietly. "How many years have I here?"

"Huh?" Emma asked, her face scrunching. "Oh, like you mean how old are you here?"

"Yes."

Emma didn't quite know how to answer. She didn't want to tell the truth because it was obvious that this version of Regina didn't actually know that she would later become the Evil Queen, so trying to explain to her that time was stopped for nearly thirty years, so she's like both thirty-two and sixty would be way too complicated.

"Uh…" Emma muttered. "You're thirty-two."

Regina's eyes lit up as she quickly asked, "And have I a husband?"

"No."

The brunette's face fell then. "Why haven't I married?" she asked Emma, looking as if she had completely failed at life somehow. It made Emma's stomach turn. The more she learned about the ways of the Enchanted Forest, the more thankful she was that she hadn't grown up there.

"Look, uh, Regina…little Regina…whatever. It's a long story. We need to focus on why you're here and like how to get you back."

"Oh yes," Regina said, attempting to plaster on a smile. "Very well. May I ask how it is that I know you?"

"We have a son together."

Regina's gasp was loud and violent. "Oh my gods, no. I've grown into a…a…"

"A what?" Emma asked, confused. "A mother?"

Regina lowered her voice to a barely audible whisper. "A lesbian."

Emma's face paled considerably before she simply burst into loud laughter, while Regina continued to worry at her bottom lip and mutter, "Mother will surely be displeased to learn of this."

Emma's laughter instantly died in her throat as she noticed a familiar figure approaching them from across the street. It was Mary Margaret.

Shit, Emma thought. I can't let her know what's going on here. She'll instantly suggest that we call Regina and then this will all be over way too soon.

"Uh, listen, don't say anything to this lady walking over here," Emma told the younger Regina quickly. "Just like glare at her or whatever, trust me, and if you have to say something, say something mean or insulting."

Regina didn't have time to ask questions, as Mary Margaret reached them in that moment. The pixie-haired woman gaped at the younger Regina, no doubt feeling as if she had just stepped into the past.

"What…what's going on?" she asked. "Regina why are y—"

"Uh, Regina was just showing me what she looked like when she was younger, because I couldn't picture it."

"Oh?" Mary Margaret glanced back to Regina again, eyes narrowed. "Is that so?"

Regina panicked as she realized that she had to say something to this woman, and Emma had specifically told her to say something insulting or mean. That was not a practice she was terribly familiar with, so she hesitated at first before blurting out, "Short hair is improper for a lady to wear. Your sheared locks make you appear as a man."

Emma face-palmed as Mary Margaret continued to stare at them suspiciously, saying nothing about Regina's comment. She was used to being insulted by the woman, but that had just seemed terribly weak for Regina.

"Emma, is there som—"

"Uh, we gotta go," Emma said quickly, grabbing the younger Regina's hand and yanking her away from Mary Margaret. This was going to be harder than she anticipated, and god, she didn't even want to think about what might happen if they accidentally ran into Henry or worse, this world's Regina.

* * *

"Why are we fleeing that woman?" young Regina asked as Emma tugged her along down the street by her hand. "And why is it that I must insult her?"

"That's my mom," Emma told her, "and we're not fleeing, exactly. We're just trying to avoid being asked too many questions. She knew something was off. That insult was weak."

"In my defense," the young brunette said, "I hardly make a practice of harsh words and degradation."

Emma snorted with laughter at that. "Oh lord, if only you knew the future."

"Pardon?" Regina asked. "May I ask what it is that you mean?"

"Listen, let's not get into all that," Emma told her. "It's just…it would be too much for you to know right now, okay? But I will tell you this—I had you insult my mom because well, future you doesn't get along very well with her."

"Oh," the teen said, nodding, "had you and I a falling out? Or is your mother merely lacking in support of our pairing?"

Emma's face turned a bright red as she finally stopped their walking and turned to face the younger woman. "Me and Regina; I mean, you…uh, I mean, the older you. It's not what you're thinking."

"Are we no longer a pairing?" Regina asked her, brows furrowing as she squeezed Emma's hand. "Have I displeased you in some way?"

Emma's heart involuntarily clenched in her chest as she heard the worry in the brunette's voice. She found herself wondering, in that moment, just how much of this beautiful, innocent, and blatantly self-conscious creature still lived in the Regina of this world. She could imagine that much of her did, regardless of how well the older Regina hid her—pushed her as far beneath the surface as she could manage.

"No, no," Emma told her quickly. "Nothing like that. I like you a lot, actually. We just…we fight sometimes, but we're not a cou—"

"Ma?"

"Shit!" Emma hissed, whirling around to see her son coming out of Granny's. She had been on her way to meet him there when a teenaged version of Regina Mills literally popped out of thin air and into her path. He must have seen them through the window and came out. Emma cursed herself for not being more careful, but she had been in such a rush to get away from Mary Margaret that she hadn't paid attention to where they were going.

"Emma!" little Regina snapped, squeezing the blonde's hand as they were still intertwined. "It is improper for a lady to swear."

"Shit," Emma muttered again, as Henry made his way across the street. "What the hell do we do?"

But she had little time to think of anything when Henry was suddenly right in front of her. "Hey, uh, what's—" The boy instantly halted his speech as he gaped at the teen version of his mother. "Mom?!" he choked out, staring right at her.

"Pardon?" young Regina asked, completely taken aback by the boy's declaration of her as his mother. She then recalled Emma saying that they shared a son. Her face instantly transformed, a joyous smile bursting across her lips. "Oh, you must be my son!" she exclaimed happily. She then squeezed Emma's hand. "Oh Emma, we obviously did well. He is beautiful!"

"HUH?!" Henry practically shouted, his eyes locking onto the two intertwined hands in front of him. "Okay, seriously, what is going on? Why are you guys holding hands and why does Mom look like that and why is she acting like she doesn't know me?!"

His voice had risen to an unnaturally high octave in his panic as he leveled a pointed, very Regina-like glare at his blonde mother.

"Uh…" Emma muttered. "Uh…I suppose you wouldn't buy that this is all an elaborate joke and we're just screwing with you, would you, kid?"

Henry just arched a brow at her and propped his hands on his hips. "What's wrong with her, Ma?"

Emma sighed heavily. Everyone was apparently intent on ruining all her fun. Furthermore, how the hell was she supposed to explain something that she herself didn't understand?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the wonderful and supportive response to this story, and it's first chapter. I'm thrilled to know you are enjoying thus far. XO-Chrmdpoet**

Chapter Two

"Nothing's wrong with her!" Emma hissed quietly, glancing quickly around to make sure they weren't drawing any unwanted attention. So far, so good. "She's fine. She's just…well, she's not your mom."

"What?" Henry asked, completely bewildered.

At the same time, teen Regina squeezed Emma's hand, their fingers still interlocked as if Emma was afraid that the teen was going to run off on her own or step into the street without looking both ways first, and said, "I thought we produced him together. Is that not what you said?"

Emma's head snapped around so fast that it audibly popped and she nearly lost her balance. The matter at hand completely left her mind as she gaped at the teen version of Regina and practically shouted, "The _hell_ you mean we _produced _him together?"

"Pardon?" Regina asked her, unsure as to why the blonde seemed so thoroughly shocked. "He is _our _child, yes? That would imply that we produced him together, would it not?"

"Well, the last time I checked, two women couldn't make babies together," Emma told her, still staring at the brunette as if she had two heads.

"Of course they can," Regina said simply. "There is little that magic is incapable of. I hardly support the use of magic. I believe it corrupts absolutely, but my mother is rather…_adept _with it; however, I suppose I would support the use of magic in such instances as creating life."

"Okay," Henry interjected. "Now I get what you mean. That's definitely _not_ my mom."

"No but seriously," Emma said, still gaping, "that's like really freaking cool. You gotta use turkey basters or whatever here."

"Ma," Henry deadpanned, snapping his fingers at his blonde mother to bring her back to the important matter at hand—such as who the hell this girl was that looked just like his mother but was most certainly _not _the woman who had raised him his entire life.

"Right, yeah," Emma said, shaking her head. "Henry's right—the more you talk, the less you sound like Regina."

"HENRY?!" the young woman exclaimed, a mega smile blasting across her face. She squeezed Emma's hand so hard that the blonde winced in pain before she completely let go and launched herself at Henry. She cupped his cheeks in her hands and smiled brightly at him.

"Uh, yeah?" Henry asked her.

"You are named after my father," she said softly, still smiling as she stroked her thumb over his cheek. "He is such a kind and gentle man. I'm glad to know I have passed his name along to my son."

Henry slowly lifted his own hands and patted his young mother's arms awkwardly. "Um, yeah, thanks." He then cut his gaze over to Emma who was shrugging and biting her lip. "Seriously, Ma. What happened?"

"I don't know, kid," Emma told him honestly, gently reaching out to pull Regina back so that she would release their son's face, which was still held in captivity. "This is like your mom from the past or whatever. She just LITERALLY popped right out of the sky or something."

Before Henry could say another word, little Regina interjected—launching into a quick ramble of questions. "Speaking of my father, where is he? Are my parents well? Do they live in this strange kingdom as well? Where in the Enchanted Forest are we? My, it certainly has changed. I never expected such advancements in only sixteen years. Was magic involved?"

"Erm…well, you see…um…" Emma hesitated. She didn't know if she should tell Regina the truth about her parents or that they weren't in the Enchanted Forest or anywhere even remotely near it. She didn't know what she was allowed to say and what she wasn't. Like, could she accidentally change the past or something? "Your parents are—"

"Dead," a harsh and ragged, yet terrifyingly familiar voice growled, cutting in from behind them.

All three whirled around, following the sound, dread pooling in both Henry and Emma's stomachs. There stood the present-day Regina Mills in all her infuriated glory, a mere thirty feet or so away from them. How no one had heard her coming was beyond them, unless she had appeared by magic.

She stood glaring at them, her hands propped on her hips and her jaw rigidly set. She was a mixture of emotions—shock, worry, confusion—but most of all, anger. What the hell was going on here? And how much had this _other_ version of herself spilled about her unfortunate past?

"Shit," Emma muttered.

Henry bit his lip as he whispered, "Uh oh."

The younger version of Regina merely gaped at her older self. "Mother would certainly _never _approve of my wearing such a short skirt."

The older Regina cleared her throat as she continued to glare at them all before fiercely locking her gaze onto Emma's. "Explain," she bit out. "_Now._"

* * *

Emma's face was riddled with guilt despite the fact that she hadn't technically done anything wrong. It wasn't her fault that little Regina had just popped out of thin air and nearly sent her toppling to the ground in surprise. She had just been trying to manage the situation as best she could.

Still, she bit her lip nervously under the heat of Regina's glare as she muttered, "Er…"

Henry echoed his birthmother, an "Er…" of his own slipping from his lips as he wore a similar expression to Emma's, despite him also having had nothing to do with this situation.

The young Regina glanced from Emma to Henry, confused by their reactions, before merely attempting to reconcile whatever it was that had caused such tension. She smiled a little awkwardly at her older self, though bright nonetheless, and said, "You are…I…" She laughed at herself for a moment before trying once more. "_We, _I suppose is best, are quite beautiful at thirty-two."

Regina wasn't amused. She put a hand up to signify that her younger self should stop talking before turning back to Emma. "Well?"

"Erm, see," Emma began, scratching at the back of her head. "See, what had happened was…you, well not _you_, but you know, you _her_ you…" She turned to point at the younger Regina who just sort of awkwardly waved.

"Do get to the point, Miss Swan," Regina snapped. "I have little patience for your blabbering excuses. Spit it out already."

Young Regina's brows furrowed at that. She leaned forward just slightly so that her mouth was hovering just behind Emma's right ear. "Am I always this terribly rude?"

"Yes, dear, I am," Regina barked at her, having overheard. Her hands were clasped tightly atop her hips as she stared down her younger self. "And _you _are terribly naive."

"Okay whoa," Emma cut in. "Self-hatred is not the answer, Regina."

"Oh can it, Emma," Regina snapped. "This is a mess. I need to know what happened and how she came to be here. Do you realize that every minute she spends here is a minute we risk changing my past, and do you know what _that _means, dear?" She spoke as if Emma was the slowest person she had ever met.

"Uh, bad things?" Emma asked, shrugging and looking totally lost. She glanced over at Henry, who mirrored her actions again.

He then looked up at his brunette mother. "How bad?" he asked her.

Regina's gaze softened greatly as she turned toward her son, something that neither Emma nor the younger Regina missed. "Henry, could you please wait inside Granny's? I need to speak with Miss Swan about this little _situation."_

"But I wanna know," Henry argued. "I could help."

"Henry," Regina said sternly. "Please do as I say."

Henry huffed out a breath and kicked his foot against the sidewalk before trudging back across the street and into the diner. As soon as he was safely inside the building, Regina turned back toward Emma and her younger self.

"Emma," she said, her tone turning grave, enough to make Emma's stomach lurch uncomfortably, "this is serious. Any changes to my past could alter my future, which could alter _your _future and Henry's. All that we have here is delicate. She needs to go back where she came from and as soon as possible."

The younger version of the Mayor glanced back and forth between Emma and her older self, feeling highly uncomfortable and now even a little frightened about the situation she found herself in. Whatever past she was destined to live must be terribly important, and she didn't want to do anything that might jeopardize her future with her son or…with Emma.

"I apologize for causing such a stir," she said softly, ducking her head a bit in shame.

"Oh, hey," Emma replied gently, turning to comfort the younger woman, forgetting for a moment that that younger woman's older self was watching. "It's not your fault, okay? Don't feel bad."

She rubbed her hands up and down the teen's arms, and the older Regina watched, eyes alight with curiosity and intrigue. It was surprising to see how gentle Emma was with her younger self, surprising and maybe even a bit heartwarming.

The Mayor did her best to soften a bit in that moment, because she realized that she was going to have to be able to communicate with her younger self if she was going to be successful in correcting this strange happening. She knew better than anyone that her younger self was pure and wouldn't respond well to a clipped attitude. So, Regina forced herself to relax, lightened her tone a bit, and asked, "How old are you right now?"

The younger Regina kept her head ducked as she obediently answered, "I have sixteen years."

"Wow, Regina," Emma said, nodding and turning to grin teasingly at the Mayor, "you were so sweet and cute at sixteen. What happened?"

Regina scoffed before rolling her eyes at the blonde. "Your mother happened, Miss Swan."

"May I ask a question?" the teen Regina cut in, a little timid but still wanting to learn and know as much as she could.

"Sure," Emma said at the same time that the Mayor answered, "What?"

The teen giggled a bit before looking at her older self and quietly asking, "Why do you refer to Emma as 'Miss Swan'? I rather imagined you would consistently address her by her given name, but you referred to her as 'Miss Swan' more than once. Is that a strange custom for lovers in this kingdom?"

"Oh crap," Emma muttered at the same time that Regina's eyes blew wide, the brunette sucking in a sharp gasp.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The Mayor's lips parted instantly, eyes wide and angry and locked hard onto Emma. Before the brunette could utter a word, though, Emma quickly put her hands up in a show of surrender and said, "Let's not freak out or anything. Total misunderstanding."

Regina's eyes narrowed then. "She said _lover_, Miss Swan," she hissed. "Why _exactly _would my younger self think that you and I, of all people, are _lovers_?"

Emma noted the way that Regina spit that word out, "lover", as if it was dirty and foul, or maybe it was the thought of Emma as her lover that she found dirty and foul. If the former, then Emma could simply dismiss it as Regina's I'm-way-too-proper attitude. If it was the latter, though…well then, the Sheriff was thoroughly offended.

Emma sighed and tilted her head to suggest that she and Regina step aside for a private word. Regina just nodded, so Emma turned back to the teen brunette and said, "Hey, um, Regina. I need to talk to…well, _you_, old you." Emma winced when she heard the angry huff from behind her. "I mean, old_er_ you. So, just, uh, stay here for a minute, okay? Stay."

The Mayor scoffed from behind her again. "Do avoid speaking to me, _her_, as if she is a dog, Miss Swan."

Emma rolled her eyes and reached out to pat little Regina's arm. "Sorry. Excuse me," she said, stressing the words and rolling her eyes. "Younger, _entirely human_ version of Regina, could you please wait here while I talk to the older, _entirely rude_ version of you?"

The teen just giggled and nodded. "You are quite strange," she laughed out.

Emma just kind of shrugged and patted her arm again before stepping over to where the older Regina was waiting with a scowl on her face. So, basically, she looked the way she always did.

"Care to explain what that was about?" Regina snapped in a whisper when Emma walked over to her.

"She thinks we're a couple," Emma explained.

"Yes, I gathered as much. Why?"

"Right after she got here, she asked me if she knew me. I told her that you and I share a son together, and she just jumped to the conclusion that that meant we were together." Emma shrugged after explaining, and Regina let out a long sigh while pressing her fingertips to her forehead as if simply existing in that moment gave her a headache.

"Also," Emma added, grinning and reaching over to nudge Regina playfully, "she said your mother wouldn't be very happy about you being a lesbo."

Regina pushed Emma's elbow away, glaring at her, but couldn't hold back the soft laugh that escaped shortly after. "Well, she is certainly right about that," she replied. "Mother would not have been pleased."

Emma's brows furrowed then. "Wait, are you saying that you _are _a les—"

Regina completely cut her off, ignoring that the blonde had spoken, though Emma detected the slightest hint of pink to the woman's cheeks. "It seems she did not catch my reference to the fact that both Mother and Daddy are deceased. Otherwise, I imagine she'd be quite emotional. It is probably better that she doesn't know anyway, so that is well and done."

"Yeah, okay," Emma agreed, and then quickly waved that off, "but back to what you were saying before. Were you implying that you're a—"

"I'm, of course, going to require all the details of how she came to be here," Regina said, cutting her off again, and Emma let out a heavy sigh. When Regina Mills didn't want to talk about something, then NOBODY was going to be talking about it.

"Well," Emma answered, shrugging, "good luck with that, because I don't have a clue and neither does she. She literally just popped right out of thin air."

"She didn't _pop _out of _thin air_, Miss Swan," Regina drawled as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "That would be entirely ridiculous. There is obviously magic at play, and she likely came through a ripple."

"A ripple?"

"In time, yes." Regina answered, nodding. "Who opened the ripple, though, is entirely beyond me."

* * *

Regina determined that it was best if they not all be seen out in the open when there was a walking copy of her on display. There were too many risks involved, the primary of which being that too many in Storybrooke bore grudges against the former Evil Queen. It would be all too easy for someone to attack or manipulate her younger self, thus altering the past and present and likely ending Regina's life entirely.

That is how they (Emma, Regina, Regina, and Henry) found themselves in the kitchen of 108 Mifflin Street.

"This is our home?" Teen Regina asked for the third time as she gaped at the large kitchen, her gaze darting all around to take in every detail.

Henry giggled, snorting in a way that was all too similar to Emma. The Mayor expected to feel that small flash of pain, anger, or jealousy that she sometimes felt when she noticed similarities between Emma and Henry, but instead, she found her heart-rate sped up a bit. She found it endearing, especially when Emma was there to grin goofily at him afterwards.

Regina was more than aware that she and the Savior had developed an odd, sometimes tense, but overall quite satisfying friendship over the course of Emma's time in Storybrooke. It was still strange, however, when Regina recognized herself opening up to the blonde, drawn to and appreciative of Emma. There were times even (though Regina would swallow her own sleeping curse before admitting it aloud) when the brunette actually craved the Savior's presence.

Because sometimes, it felt like Emma was her only friend; at least, the only one who understood her without words.

"You've already asked like three times," Henry said, laughing.

"And the answer is still yes, dear," Regina added, unable to stop the small smile from pulling at her lips.

"How is it that we have come to have such a home?" Little Regina asked. "Is Emma royalty?"

Hilariously, both Emma and Regina responded at the same time. "No," Emma scoffed while Regina answered, "Yes."

They stopped and looked at one another, Emma's face scrunched as if she was torn between laughter and confusion.

"What?" the Mayor blurted. "You ARE royalty."

"Well, I guess _technically_," Emma began, but Regina shook her head and cut her off.

"No dear, not _technically_, _actually,"_ the brunette interjected. "Your parents are the rightful heirs to the White Kingdom, though so help me if you ever tell your mother I said that, I will—"

"—destroy me if it's the last thing you do?" Emma asked, smirking.

Henry laughed out loud at that as Regina just narrowed her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips, and said, "Indeed."

"I am quite confused," the young Regina cut in. "I understand that Emma is royalty, but if we are not bound in marriage, then is it not improper for us to be living together?"

"It's so improper," Emma laughed out, joking. Henry cracked up too, but Regina just rolled her eyes at the pair of them.

"We don't live together," she told her younger self, "and for the record, _I_ am royalty. You eventually will be as well. It's a long story, so don't ask, but trust me when I say, we are queens."

The younger Regina's eyes bulged at that. "Queens?"

"Queens," Henry reiterated, nodding and grinning at how sweet and innocent this 16-year-old version of his mother was.

"Oh my goodness," the teen replied in a soft gasp. "Mother will certainly be satisfied."

And then the room became uncomfortably quiet.

* * *

"So!" Emma said, clapping her hands together to break the sudden, awkward silence. She then quickly changed the subject. "Little Regina…" She stopped, hesitating. "Uh, do you totally hate that I'm calling you that? Because if I was sixteen, it would probably bug me if someone called me 'Little Emma'."

"It is somewhat bothersome," the teen answered, tilting her head to the side in consideration. Her long braid falling over her shoulder. "However, I recognize the need for specificity."

"Why do you talk like that?" Henry asked, scrunching his face. "You're so proper. I mean, Mom's proper, too, but you're like _really _proper."

Regina chuckled softly at her son as the younger version of her narrowed her eyes at Henry and countered, "Why do _you _speak so _im_properly?"

That definitely surprised Henry. His eyes bugged out for a minute before he smiled slyly, a smile that was all Regina. Emma just laughed, nudged Henry's shoulder, and said, "I think the appropriate response here is 'Touché'."

They all just chuckled together before Henry shrugged and asked, "So, should we give you a nickname, then?"

"A nickname?" little Regina asked, and the older version of herself stiffened. The Mayor could only imagine the strange and likely embarrassing sort of nicknames that Emma and Henry could produce together if given time to think. Her teen-aged self would likely end up being called something terribly ridiculous and be entirely unaware of just how ridiculous it was.

"Yeah, like a shortened version of your name or a name that represents you or something you like," Emma told her, and the teen nodded in understanding.

"Very well," she said with a smile. She then turned to the Mayor and asked, "Do _you _have a nickname?"

Regina scoffed. "Of course not," she answered. "I am a queen."

Emma and Henry both snickered at that. "I think maybe you're forgetting, Regina," Emma teased, "that you _do_ have _one_ nickname, one pretty _famous _nickname."

Regina's eyes flashed a warning in Emma and Henry's direction. She knew exactly what they were referring to, but she couldn't have her younger self finding out too much about the future; at least, not the part where she became a murdering witch.

Regina narrowed her eyes at the goofballs that were her son and his other mother, and communicated with her gaze that she did not find that remark funny in the slightest. She then cleared her throat and said, "_That _was not a nickname. It was a title, and I used it for very specific reasons."

"Strike fear in the hearts of millions!" Emma joked, laughing, and Regina just rolled her eyes.

"Why would you need to strike fear in the hearts of millions?" teen Regina asked, brows furrowed as she looked to her older self.

Regina stalled for a moment before completely lying. "I wouldn't."

Her younger self only became more confused then. "But Emma said—"

"Yes, well," Regina snapped, "_Emma _is an idiot. In fact, that is _her_ nickname, and you may call her that at leisure."

Emma rolled her eyes even as she cracked up. She wasn't even irritated by the dig, because this entire situation was just incredibly bizarre and honestly, a little exciting. She was in the best mood, and she'd be lying if she didn't at least admit to herself that she was really enjoying the chance to see Regina's younger self. It was a fascinating experience, and maybe, Emma thought, she could learn a little about what Regina was like before everything apparently went to shit.

"Yeah, yeah," Emma said, grinning like the idiot that Regina had claimed her to be. "So, what if we call her Gina?"

The Mayor instantly shuddered and scoffed. "Absolutely not. I refuse to be referred to as Gina."

"But it's not even _you_," Emma started to argue, but Regina just shook her head. She wasn't having it.

"Fine," Emma huffed. "We could just call her 'Two'."

"Huh?" Henry asked.

"You know," Emma told him, "like Regina 2.0?"

No one really seemed to care for that one either, so Emma threw out another idea. "Queenie?" she suggested.

Henry laughed at that one. "I like it," he said happily.

At the same time, Regina muttered under her breath, "Childish."

"But I am not yet a queen," teen Regina responded, shaking her head.

"Alright fine," Emma said. "Since the two Reginas are both spoil-sports, how about we make this easy and just call you 'R'?"

"R," Henry said with a firm nod. Regina merely shrugged as if it was acceptable but only just, and little Regina nodded and said, "Very well."

"Cool," Emma replied. "So, R, why don't you go with Henry for a bit, and he can show you the TV or something while I talk to Regina about how to get you back to your time?"

"What is a tee vee?" R asked, and Emma just shook her head and motioned for Henry to take her to the living room. He laughed and grabbed R's hand, pulling her out of the kitchen.

As soon as they disappeared around the corner, Emma felt a hard smack to the back of her head. "Ow," she hissed, turning to look at Regina. "What the hell was that for?"

"Are you _trying _to change the past?" Regina drawled, hands now planted on her hips.

"So, I joked about the Evil-Queen thing," Emma said, shrugging. "It's not a big deal. I didn't _say _it."

"Mmhm," Regina hummed sourly. "See how you feel about it when you no longer exist."

Emma followed Regina as the brunette made her way to the breakfast bar to take a seat. "Well, I'm guessing I wouldn't feel _anything_ about it, _Queenie_, because I _WOULDN'T EXIST_."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you everyone for the wonderful feedback and support for this little story. I'm so glad you are enjoying it! XO-Chrmdpoet**

Chapter Four

Regina flipped quickly through the aged pages of old spellbooks and magical tomes that she had summoned from her vault to the kitchen table. Emma sat across from her, chin resting in her palm as her arm was propped atop the table. She sighed loudly, bored, as she watched Regina flip through the pages.

She had tried to help read through the books with her, but that had been a mostly futile effort given that the majority of the books were written in magic or in elvish (as Regina told her, to which Emma had snorted loudly and laughed only to realize that the woman was entirely serious) or in runes.

"Do stop whining, Miss Swan," Regina drawled without looking up as she heard Emma's sigh.

"I'm not whining," Emma grumbled, glaring at Regina across the table. "Did I say anything? Nope. So, yeah, not whining."

"You're sighing like a five-year-old being forced to sit still," Regina argued, again without looking up. It irritated Emma.

"Whatever," the blonde scoffed. "This is boring."

"Would you rather play hide-and-seek, dear?" Regina quipped, rolling her eyes as she moved on to a different book.

Emma's brow quirked for a split-second. The children's game actually sounded like a much more fulfilling and entertaining activity than what they were now doing. "Nah," she said after a minute, though. "You would just cheat."

Regina's head popped up then. "I do _not _cheat," she denied, "at anything."

"Psh," Emma scoffed. "Villains always cheat."

"Oh, so I'm a villain again?" Regina asked, pinning Emma with a glare. "Do enlighten me, dear. What dastardly plan do I have hidden away? What nefarious plot have you uncovered?"

Emma sighed dramatically. "You know that is not even what I meant," she told the brunette. "I don't mean that you _are _a villain, but you _were_, so I'm pretty sure you wouldn't freak about cheating at a game of hide-and-seek. Hell, if I had magic, I would probably cheat, too."

"You _do _have magic," Regina deadpanned.

"I meant if I had working magic."

"You _do _have working magic," Regina said, leaning back and crossing her arms over her chest. She smirked at Emma as she then said, "There is a difference between having working magic and actually knowing how to work it."

Emma bobbed her head and rolled her eyes. "Go back to your books, Regina. Cockiness doesn't suit you."

"Oh but it does, dear," Regina argued, clucking her tongue as she grinned wickedly and went back to her spellbooks. "Cockiness is my signature color, just after black."

Emma tried not to smile, but she felt the tug at the corners of her lips anyway. She sighed and shook her head.

As they fell into silence, Emma's boredom became nearly unbearable. She alternated between making extremely annoying sounds with her lips and drumming her fingers against the tabletop. Regina merely ignored her, only looking up every few minutes to shoot her a glare.

"So…" Emma drawled after several long moments. "Little you is pretty different from _you_ you."

Regina didn't look up, but Emma saw one perfectly sculpted brow raise. "Eloquent wording, dear."

Emma ignored her and plowed ahead. "She seems pretty sweet."

"Mm," Regina hummed, not commenting further, and Emma was surprised to see a blush creep over the brunette's cheeks.

"I'm guessing that means that this is before all the bad stuff happened or whatever?" Emma asked softly after a minute, a little nervous of wading out into these sensitive waters. She knew that Regina was very guarded about her past, but Emma was hoping that maybe she could finally learn a little more about it. After all, it would be kind of difficult for Regina to keep it guarded when it was literally in the next room.

Regina cleared her throat roughly, and Emma took it as a warning to back off just before the brunette quietly snapped, "Yes."

"'Kay," Emma responded, recognizing the unspoken command to drop the subject. So, she did.

A tense silence enveloped them after that, and it made Emma's skin crawl. She could only handle a few seconds of it before she drummed her fingers against the table again and awkwardly blurted out, "Did you know that lesbians didn't have to use turkey basters to make babies in the Enchanted Forest?"

Regina choked on her own saliva as her head snapped up and her face scrunched in surprise and confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?"

* * *

"R said that people of the same sex can make babies together in the Enchanted Forest," Emma told her, her cheeks and neck flushing a bright red, though the blonde didn't have a clue as to why. "You know, like without…" She dropped her voice to a mumble and quietly said, "…sperm."

She then realized what she had said, cleared her throat, and clarified, "Well, I guess unless it was a _male_ same-sex couple. Then it would be without an egg or whatever. Okay, um, I'm shutting up now."

Regina blinked several times, merely gaping at Emma for a long moment, before she shook her head and said, "How in the hell did you land on such a topic with my younger self?"

Emma sighed, "She made a comment about us having 'produced' Henry together."

Regina's face scrunched, and Emma quickly added, "Her words, not mine."

"I see," Regina said, nodding and avoiding Emma's eyes, "and did you correct her?"

"Yeah, of course," Emma answered, her own eyes practically devouring the table as she picked pointlessly at her fingernails. "I mean, I didn't understand what she meant by that, but then she said that same-sex couples could make babies in the Enchanted Forest with magic or whatever. Is that true?"

Regina sighed as she closed the spellbook in front of her, sat back in her chair, and looked at Emma.

"What?" Emma blurted. "Why are you sighing at me like that?"

"Because apparently you would rather have a conversation about magical reproduction," Regina told her, pinning Emma with a glare that the blonde noticed had hardly any fire behind it, "than focus on our impending dooms."

"Really, Regina?" Emma deadpanned. "Our _impending dooms_? Dramatic much?"

Regina huffed out an annoyed breath, ignoring Emma's comment before simply saying, "Yes, it is possible for same-sex couples to reproduce via magic in the Enchanted Forest."

"Seriously?" Emma exclaimed, eyes widening. "That is totally awesome. How come I've never heard about this before?"

"That would probably be because it isn't a common practice," Regina explained. "It was much more prevalent when I was young, such as R is now, but the practice died off rather quickly. It was still possible, but many of the sorcerers who lived in our land vacated, were killed and drained, or went into hiding."

"Why?" Emma asked. "And what do you mean 'drained'?"

"Black Market," Regina told her, shrugging a shoulder. "Various types of magic became high-dollar items on the Market. The purer the magic, the higher the bounty. Thus, sorcerers were captured and drained, and by that, I mean literally drained of their magic. It was bled from their veins and bottled."

"Holy shit," Emma gasped. "That's so fuc—"

"Uh, Moms?"

Regina and Emma both turned in their seats to see their son lingering awkwardly in the doorway of the kitchen. His face was scrunched into an expression of extreme discomfort as he then quietly said, "R needs to um…use the bathroom, and uh…"

"What?" Emma asked, completely confused. How hard was it to go to the damn bathroom?

Regina, though, quickly shot to her feet. "I will take care of it," she answered before anyone could say another word. "Where is she, Henry?"

"Bathroom by the den," Henry answered, watching his mother move swiftly past him and out of the kitchen.

"Uh, what was that about kid?" Emma asked, still confused.

Henry just giggled now that it was just him and Emma. "I think she was scared of the toilet."

* * *

Regina knocked at the bathroom door before reaching for the knob. She rested her head against the wood of the door. "R?" she called quietly. When she received no answer, Regina turned the knob and poked her head into the small crack where the door was now open, worried.

She bit her lip to keep from laughing as she saw her younger self backed all the way against the wall opposite the toilet, almost as if the teen was trying to melt into the wall. Her wide chocolate eyes were fixed on the toilet, and Regina could clearly see a mixture of emotions swirling in their depths-confusion, shock, fear, intrigue.

"R," she said again, stepping into the bathroom and closing the door behind her. "Are you alright?"

"I..." R started before hesitating. Her hand came out, pointing at the toilet. "Henry said I was to use this device and then press the lever once I was finished."

Regina smiled at her younger self. "Yes, that's correct."

"But the lever creates a swirling vortex," R argued. "He showed me."

"Yes," Regina chuckled. "It's nothing to be afraid of."

"So, I..." She was obviously very wary of the device as she inched a little nearer it. "I am to actually sit upon this device?"

"Yes," Regina said again. "You sit over the opening, do your business, and then flush once you are finished."

"Will I not be sucked into the vortex?" R asked her, and Regina had to bite her lip again, because the extreme sincerity in the teen's voice was overwhelmingly humorous. She was glad that she was here to handle this, because there was no way that Emma would have been unable to keep from laughing, and Regina hated to even consider the idea of _any _version of herself being humiliated.

"No, dear," she answered. "It's not magic. It's called plumbing, and it is merely water. It is perfectly safe and much more sanitary than what you are accustomed to back home."

"You use this device then?"

"I do," Regina told her, nodding and offering the girl an encouraging smile. "Would it help you to know that when I first encountered these devices, I was a bit timid as well?"

R let out an awkward, yet adorable giggle as she smiled tentatively at Regina and nodded. "Yes, thank you," she whispered. "That makes me feel a bit better."

"Good," Regina said, smiling at her still. "Are you okay to try now?"

"Yes, I believe so," R told her, nodding and moving a little closer to the toilet.

"Would you like me to stay?" Regina asked her. "Or I can wait just outside the door if you need me."

"That would be..." R nodded, her cheeks flushing. "Yes, just outside the door. Thank you."

"Okay," Regina told her before turning back toward the door. "Just let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you," R whispered again, and Regina slipped out of the bathroom.

When she closed the door behind her and turned, she came face to face with a smirking Savior. Emma was leaning against the wall just outside the bathroom with her arms crossed over her chest, looking like she was only just holding back her laughter.

Regina pinned her with a glare and quietly whispered, "Don't you dare laugh at her."

Emma just grinned at her and shook her head. "Wouldn't dream of it, Queenie."

"Stop calling me that."

Emma just chuckled softly. "Were you really afraid of the toilets when you first came here?"

Regina's glare only intensified before the brunette dropped her chin to her chest, gaze devouring the floor. She then quietly admitted, "I was..._surprised _by many things."

Emma knew that "surprised" was really just a substitute word for "afraid." Regina would never admit to being afraid of anything, not truly; at least, she never had before, and Emma would be surprised to ever hear her do so. She had seen Regina be afraid, but she had never heard the brunette actually voice it. "Worried" was as far as they had ever gotten.

Regina then looked up at her again and grinned in a way that made Emma's stomach clench inexplicably. Her chocolate eyes shone with mirth as she said, "You should have seen my reaction to the television."

Emma laughed out loud then.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Don't touch it," Henry warned, reaching up to jerk R's hand back before the teen could touch the red-metal panels visible on the inside of the toaster where two slices of bread were cooking. "It's hot. You'll get burned."

"Oh, I see," R said, nodding. "Thank you." She let her hand drop to her side, but she kept her face quite close to the device, peering down into it as it worked. "How long until the bread is properly cooked?"

Henry giggled at her wording. "Uh, probably just a few more seconds. It's pretty fast."

Regina and Emma sat at the table across the kitchen once more, Regina searching through her books while Emma scoured the internet on her phone for any possible ideas from random literature or lore. Regina had found the idea to be positively stupid, but Emma had argued that it wasn't really _that_ stupid considering all of _their _stories had been written down by someone in this realm, even if they were terribly skewed. So, it was likely that someone had written about magic or magical laws in a way that was relevant to those of the Enchanted Forest. That, and Emma had just gotten tired of pretending like she could read half of the weird crap in Regina's strange books.

The two adult women frequently glanced up at one another, sharing a small smile or a smirk at the antics they heard behind them as Henry showed Regina's younger self the various kitchen tools that existed in this realm. It had been quite hilarious to hear the way R 'ooed' and 'awed' over the microwave as it popped a bag of popcorn, and the way she had practically climbed inside the oven to inspect it, because she did not understand how it operated without a fire.

Emma had actually had to plug her nose and cup a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing when R had actually screamed when Henry turned on the mixer just to show her how it worked. The sound had apparently startled her, and as much as Emma wanted to laugh, Regina had kicked the ever-loving hell out of her shin under the table, despite the fact that the brunette was smiling as if she wanted to laugh as well.

A moment later, the toaster finished its job, and fresh toast popped up quickly, startling R. She jumped back with a squeak of surprise, a few bread crumbs having flown into her face. She wiped quickly at her face as she stared at the toast, bewildered. Her expression then quickly changed to awe and excitement as she launched forward to grab the toast, but Henry grabbed her wrist again and stopped her.

He barely managed to get his words out through his laughter as he said, "Wait, wait. You have to let it cool, R."

"Oh, very well, yes," R said, a little breathless with her excitement. "I apologize for my impatience. It is simply rather exhilarating, I suppose."

Emma's entire face was red as she pretended to still be paying attention to the open webpages on her phone, but was really just desperately trying not to explode into laughter under Regina's glaring scrutiny. A moment later, though, she couldn't hold it in any longer.

Henry told R it was okay to take the toast, which of course she quickly did. "See?" Henry said, smiling at the teen. "You made toast!"

R giggled and then took a small bite, chewed, swallowed, and squealed her excitement again before running over to the kitchen table.

"Emma!" she said happily, to which the blonde turned and looked at her.

"Yeah?" Emma choked out, her cheeks red and her throat constricted from trying not to laugh.

"I made this toast!" R cheered to her. "It is delicious, and I needed not even make a fire!"

Emma didn't even try then. She just burst into laughter, unable to hold it in any longer. R didn't even seem to care, simply giggling along with her and eating her toast.

Once her laughing fit had passed, Emma reached out and patted the teen's arm affectionately. "Good job, R. I'm glad you like the toaster."

"Oh, I do," R said happily, beaming at Emma and leaning into the blonde's touch. "Might I try other devices?"

Emma smiled and patted her arm again. "Sure you can," she told her. "Just take Henry with you, and be careful."

Regina watched this exchange with one brow arched so high that it was practically disappearing into her hairline. Emma never touched her in such a way, and yet here she was patting R's back and smiling at her as if she was the most adorable thing in the world. And was her younger self actually _leaning _into Emma's touch?

Interesting.

"Thank you," R said sweetly, before reaching out to tentatively place a hand on Emma's shoulder and squeeze, which quickly had Regina's other brow shooting up.

R then followed Henry back out of the kitchen, leaving Regina to stare questioningly at Emma.

* * *

"What?" Emma blurted after a moment. She could no longer handle being the central focus of Regina's intense stare. The silence and the stare were eating her alive.

"What was that?" Regina finally asked, keeping her gaze latched onto Emma's.

Brows furrowing in confusion, Emma returned Regina's questioning gaze. "What was _what_?"

"_That_," Regina said again, cocking her head in the direction of the living room.

"Yeah," Emma drawled, smacking her lips and huffing out a breath, "you're going to have to be a little more specific than that, Regina. I may have magic, but I'm not a mind reader."

Regina merely stared at her for a long moment before letting out a sigh, rolling her eyes, and pulling the nearest book toward her once more. "Nothing, dear. Nevermind."

"Oh no, no, no," Emma said, shaking her head. "You can't just start something like that and then not tell me what you meant."

"Considering the fact that I just did," Regina drawled as she dropped her gaze to the book, "I would argue that I actually _can_."

"Very funny," Emma snapped, mock laughing. "But seriously, what were you talking about? Tell me."

Regina pursed her lips, keeping her eyes fixed on the page in front of her, and simply replied with a quick, "No."

"Regina, seriously, come on," Emma deadpanned. "Stop being like that, and just tell me."

"No," Regina repeated, her expression stoic despite the fact that she was smiling internally. She had always enjoyed watching the Savior squirm. It was entirely too entertaining how quickly Emma Swan could transform from an adult to a five-year-old whining child. Then again, Regina firmly believed that moments in which Emma acted fully as an adult were few and far between.

"Fine," Emma bit out after a minute, jerking her own phone toward her once more. "Didn't want to know anyway." She opened the webpage she had been reading earlier about magical time travel in modern literature. She only managed to read a total of eleven words (_Time-travel devices have been used in fiction to initiate a…_) before she let out a loud, agitated sigh and lowered her phone again. She glared at Regina as she said, "Regina, just freaking tell me. You're being childish."

Regina snorted with laughter at that, but never moved her gaze from her book. "Says the woman who is currently whining like a toddler."

"Only because you are pointlessly withholding information," Emma argued, cheeks a fresh shade of pink thanks to the truth in Regina's mocking statement.

Regina huffed out a breath and rolled her eyes at the blonde again as she finally looked up from her book. "I am not 'withholding information', Miss Swan," she replied, her tone sharp and exasperated. "You are making a big deal of nothing."

"If it's nothing, then you could just tell me," Emma argued, and Regina glared at her.

"It was a momentary curiosity," Regina told her, "and now it has passed. I haven't stolen your pacifier, Emma. I simply changed my mind, so stop whining and let it go."

Emma crossed her arms over her chest and grumbled to herself as Regina went back to her book. After a long moment of silence, Emma said, "You know, you should take a page out of your younger self's book."

Regina's brow lifted, but she didn't look up. "Meaning?"

"Meaning R is really nice and sweet," Emma told her.

Regina looked up then, and with a teasing smile on her face, she asked, "What? You don't think that _I'm _ nice and sweet?"

Emma tried not to smile, but she couldn't help it. So, she just chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Are you sure we can't just keep R and send _you _ back?" she teased.

"Oh come now, dear," Regina replied easily, smirking. "I think we both know that the good citizens of Storybrooke would miss me far too much. Your mother would surely mourn my absence endlessly."

Emma snorted with laughter. "Oh please, she's practically obsessed with the younger version of you," she told the brunette. "Seriously, I'm surprised that there's not like a shrine hidden in her closet. A bust of your head made entirely from recycled goods and twigs with poetry written on the walls to celebrate the _good, kind, pure, and lovely, lovely, LOVELY girl that saved me from that horse and taught me about true love!_"

Regina burst into loud laughter at that, unable to hold it in any longer. As much as it had always pained her to think about that time in her life, especially where Snow was concerned, Regina found her heart wonderfully light as she listened to Emma do a shockingly uncanny impression of her mother. It sapped the tension right out of such a heavy memory, and made it easier to digest.

Emma laughed with her, her shoulders shaking as she gasped for air between laughs. When the melody of their combined laughter died down, she smiled at Regina and said, "No, but seriously, though. For what it's worth, you _would _be missed."

"Henry," Regina replied gently, nodding her agreement, but was surprised when Emma shook her head.

"No," Emma told her, to which Regina began to protest, so the blonde quickly backtracked. "No, I mean, _yes _Henry, but I meant not _just _Henry." She cleared her throat awkwardly as her cheeks flushed a soft pink. "Henry isn't the only one."

Regina simply gaped at Emma for a long moment, her lips slightly parted and a wonderful ache building in her chest. Before she could respond, though, Emma cleared her throat roughly again, motioned toward the book in front of Regina, and asked, "So, have you found anything yet?"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: For those wondering or requesting, the chapters will not be any longer. They will all range between 1500 and 2200 words. This is because, as I stated in my Author's Note in chapter one, this story is written in short bursts/drabbles on tumblr by request. When I collect two or three drabbles, I compile them into one of these chapters and post it here. You would be waiting quite some time for updates any longer than these, as I cannot work on my tumblr prompts as often as I would like to. I hope that explains it for any of you wondering, and I hope you will all still enjoy the story as is. Please take care, and enjoy! XO-Chrmdpoet**

Chapter Six

Regina let Emma off the hook by dropping her gaze back to the book in front of her. She let out a soft sigh as the blonde's words filtered through her mind over and over, and Regina knew that she would be toiling over them for days to come. That was simply the way of her mind.

She had never been able to let anything go, always overanalyzing.

"I thought I had," she said after a moment, "but it turned out to be nothing more than what I already knew."

"Yeah?" Emma asked, rising out of her chair and walking around the table to drop into the one beside Regina. She reached out for the book in front of the brunette. "Let me see."

"I thought you couldn't read any of this 'witchy crap'?" Regina asked, brow arched, and a smirk teasing at her lips as she stared pointedly at the woman now in closer proximity.

Emma just rolled her eyes at Regina's repetition of her own words. "I stand by that," Emma told her, laughing. "I still can't, but maybe I just want to feel like I'm contributing more than steady strokes to your ego by not knowing anything."

Regina's smirk grew into a smile, and Emma rolled her eyes again. "Just give me the book, woman," she huffed. She didn't actually wait for Regina to do so, though, before she lunged forward and snatched the tome from between the brunette's hands.

"Suit yourself," Regina said, as Emma glanced over the page that was open.

Emma gaped at the page, seeing nothing but symbols that equated to absolutely nothing in her mind. "Yeah," she drawled after a moment. "I got nothin'."

"Now, was that waste of time necessary?" Regina teased, and before Emma could stop herself, she leaned over and nudged Regina's side with her elbow.

"You're such an ass," the blonde laughed out, and Regina echoed her laughter. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and it was as if both women suddenly realized that they were acting like…well, like friends. _Real _friends.

Real friends who tease one another with no malice in their words, with no ill intent. Real friends who poke one another's buttons and then soothe the sting. Real friends who have few physical barriers and simply enjoy being in one another's space. Real friends that Regina and Emma had never once been with one another before.

They had always had a strange sort of connection, an understanding that evolved into mutual respect at times. That understanding had further evolved after the events of Neverland. It was as if something that had once existed as a barrier between them had been steadily beaten and broken down as they fought for the life of their son, until that barrier had completely crumbled.

Neither acknowledged it aloud, but since their days in the jungle, something had changed between them. Their constant jabs at one another softened and grew affectionate. They sought one another out for opinions and advice where mothering their son was concerned and then eventually, for even more. They grew to truly care without even realizing it.

Until, perhaps, this moment.

They scooted apart from one another quickly as if burned by the sudden realization that they were being cute and friendly with one another. "Yes, well," Regina said, clearing her throat, "they don't call me evil for nothing."

"They don't call you evil at all anymore," Emma told her, offering the woman a sincere smile.

Regina turned to look at her once more, a deadpan stare that made Emma bite into her bottom lip. "Yeah, okay," the blonde said, "so _some _people still call you evil, but nobody that matters. The people that care about you would never call you that, because it's not true."

"It's not?" Regina challenged.

"No," Emma told her firmly and with absolute conviction. "That's not who you are anymore."

Regina leaned her head on her fist as she stared at the blonde beside her. "And who is it that you think I am, Miss Swan?"

"Well, I think that _I _am Emma, so stick with that," Emma teased, grinning at the brunette, "and I think that _you _are just you, and _maybe_…" She grinned mischievously, hesitating before saying, "Maybe you're just a little more like R than you like to admit."

Regina snorted at that, putting up a front despite the fact that her heart had clenched at Emma's words. "Maybe _you're _delusional, dear."

Emma just shook her head and smiled. "Maybe I'm not."

They held each other's gazes for a long moment, before Regina quietly said, "Maybe we should get back to work."

Emma blinked rapidly. "Right, uh…so, you wanna read this to me?"

Regina grabbed the book again and looked down at the page. "Very well."

* * *

"That's seriously it?" Emma asked. "That entire page of squiggles and symbols, and all it friggin' says is 'Time Ripples are of unknown origin and may only be accessed by sorcerers of considerable power'?"

"No, of course not, dear," Regina told her, smirking. "If you recall, it also mentioned that time ripples were considered unstable and dangerous."

"Right, so, basically," Emma chimed in again, "that whole page is pointless, because even before I knew that magic actually existed, if someone asked me about a ripple in time, I could've easily made up those rules about it just off the top of my head with nothing but a little imagination and some damn common sense."

Regina pursed her lips as she stared down at the page in disappointment. "Indeed," she agreed, nodding absentmindedly.

"Also," Emma continued, "I really don't feel comfortable with the whole 'unstable and dangerous' thing. I don't want to send R back through something described as 'unstable and dangerous'."

"Well, she came through one well enough," Regina replied, shrugging a shoulder.

"So we _think_," Emma said. "How do we even know she was meant to end up here? Maybe she was supposed to go to a totally different time. Or maybe it worked perfectly the way it was supposed to that _one _time, but that doesn't change the fact that the _next _time, it could be all unstable and dangerous. I mean, how unstable and dangerous are we talking, here?"

"Emma," Regina said, closing her eyes and pressing her fingertips to her temple.

"Huh?" Emma asked, snapping out of her rapid ramble.

"_Stop _saying 'unstable and dangerous'," Regina told her, and Emma just stared at her. Regina opened her eyes a moment later and locked gazes with the blonde. "Those two words don't even sound like words anymore after that."

Emma chuckled at that. "Sorry," she laughed out. "I do that all the time. 'Milk' is a big one. You only have to say that word like twice in the span of a few seconds and it stops sounding like a real word."

"Yes, well, unless milk has suddenly become a magical object of grand importance or a nefarious new foe," Regina responded, "it is of absolutely no significance."

A long, hissing sigh emitted from Emma's throat as the blonde rolled her eyes at Regina's snarky reply. "You seriously need to learn to chill," Emma told her.

"I am incredibly chill, dear," Regina replied, arching a brow at the other woman.

"Sure you are," Emma deadpanned. "So, what should we do then, because I'm pretty sure you've already looked through all these books?" The blonde glanced up at the sliding door in the kitchen that led into the backyard. The sky was darkening outside, strips of orange and red visible over the top of Regina's privacy fence. "And it's gonna be dark soon."

"I suppose we are simply going to have to accept the fact that R is not going home," Regina told her, sighing. "Not tonight anyway."

"Sweet," Emma said happily, a smile bursting across her lips.

At Regina's confused and somewhat stern expression, the blonde quickly schooled her features, cleared her throat, and said, "I mean, that's not so bad. As long as we keep her safe and don't tell her any of the evil-queen stuff, everything should be fine, right?"

Regina's gaze dropped to the table so that Emma could only just make out the worried look in chocolate eyes as the brunette whispered, "I hope so."

Emma reached out and patted Regina's shoulder awkwardly. "Hey," she said, and waited for Regina to look up at her, all stormy dark eyes and silent insecurity. Emma could read those eyes better than any book. When Regina looked at her again, Emma smiled softly at her and said, "It _will _be fine."

They stared at one another for a long moment, a strange sort of tension developing between them until the moment was suddenly interrupted by the very loud rumbling of Emma's stomach.

Regina chuckled at the blonde. "Hungry, Miss Swan?"

Emma rubbed a hand over her stomach as she joined in Regina's gentle laughter. "Apparently so," she said. She then arched a brow at the woman beside her and asked, "Wanna do something about it?"

"Why can _you _not do something about it?" Regina challenged playfully. "I am a queen, not a cook."

Emma snorted at that one. "Yeah, but you're also a queen who _can _cook…like _really _well."

"And?"

"I'm not asking you to cook for me or anything," Emma said quickly, and Regina nearly laughed out loud.

"Oh? You're not?" Regina asked her before biting her lip to keep from laughing.

"No way, I'm just saying that _Henry _needs a good dinner," Emma explained, "a _home-cooked_ dinner."

"Uh huh," Regina hummed, nodding.

"And so does R," Emma threw in. "You can't just let them starve, you know."

"I never intended to," Regina replied, smirking. She was going to make Emma grovel simply because it was entertaining.

"Well good," Emma said, twiddling her thumbs as she kept her hands clasped together on the table. "So, since you're going to be cooking anyway, and I'm already here and everything…"

Regina merely offered her a blank stare. "Yes…?"

"Well, I just figured it wouldn't be a big deal if I stayed…" Emma trailed off before adding, "…for dinner."

"I thought you weren't asking me to cook for you," Regina said, trying her best not to grin and give it away that she had always intended to ask Emma to stay for dinner. Regina had always enjoyed cooking, and no one, not even Henry, praised her cooking more than Emma Swan did.

"I'm not," Emma said quickly. She then offered Regina a wide smile that Regina thought made the blonde look like a mischievous child. "I asked you to cook for _Henry_ _and R_. I would just benefit from it, too."

"Ah," Regina said, allowing that smile to slip slowly across her lips. "I see. In that case, I suppose it is fine for you to stay for dinner."

"Yeah?" Emma asked excitedly.

"Yes," Regina answered, "but you are doing the dishes afterward."

Emma's lip curled in disgust. She hated doing the dishes, but she would take it in exchange for Regina's cooking. "Deal."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Emma's lip curled in disgust as she grabbed Henry's plate with soapy hands and began to scrub it clean of the remnants of his dinner. "Ugh, god, Regina," she said, her face completely scrunched, "your son is disgusting."

Regina chuckled at that. "Oh, so he's _my _son when he's being disgusting, but he is _our _son when he isn't?"

"Well yeah, duh," Emma teased, glancing over her shoulder to grin at the woman moving around behind her.

Regina was busy putting away the dishes and cookware that Emma had already washed. She rolled her eyes at Emma's goofy grin. "I see," Regina said. "In that case, I move that he be _your _son when he is being irritating."

"No way," Emma laughed out. "That's not fair at all."

"How is that not fair?" Regina challenged.

Emma just pinned her with a stare over her shoulder. "Because the kid is irritating all the time," she answered, sticking her tongue out at the brunette.

Regina mock-gasped, teasing the blonde. "How dare you speak about our darling son in such a way!" she joked, and Emma's stomach flipped pleasantly. It always surprised her when Regina loosened up a bit and played along with her; surprised and _delighted_.

"I love the kid to death," Emma laughed out, "but you know it's true."

"I blame it on bad genes," Regina countered, smirking, and Emma couldn't even be offended. She just cracked up, turned, and swatted Regina's side with the nearest towel.

Regina yelped and jumped out of the way, letting out a soft giggle that had both women instantly freezing and staring at one another. Regina swallowed the laughter as it died in her mouth. She then cleared her throat, turned away from the blonde with a faint blush adorning her cheeks, and asked, "So, what disgusting thing were you referring to?"

Emma stood gaping at Regina for a moment before shaking her head and turning back toward the sink to finish the dishes. "This barbecue sauce obsession he has. He puts it on _everything_. It's gross."

Regina chuckled. "You don't like barbecue sauce?"

"Regina, you made SPAGHETTI!" Emma said, turning to bug her eyes out at the brunette. "You made pasta, and he _still _smothered it in barbecue sauce, on TOP of the spaghetti sauce. You seriously don't find that disgusting?"

Regina's nose scrunched as she nodded. "Indeed I do," she admitted, and Emma laughed. "I'm hoping it's a strange food phase that will soon lose its appeal."

"God, me too," Emma agreed. "He put it on his toast the other day, and I legitimately gagged."

Regina almost gagged at the mere _thought _of barbecue sauce on toast. "Perhaps we should branch out, buy new foods, and try to get him to try new things?"

"I think he'll probably just put barbecue sauce on all the new things," Emma told her, chuckling.

"Most likely," Regina agreed, sighing.

"Pardon my intrusion," said a voice from behind the two women. Both Regina and Emma turned to see R hovering in the open doorway of the kitchen, her hands clasped gently in front of her body and her expression unsure.

"It's fine, dear," Regina told her younger self. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, of course," R answered, "but it appears that Henry has fallen asleep, and I…"

"Got lonely?" Emma asked, leaning against the sink and smiling at the teenager.

R's cheeks flushed a beautiful shade of crimson as she nodded subtly.

"Well, that's understandable," Emma told her. "Henry always passes out when he's full. We should've warned you about that. Sorry."

"There is no need to apologize," R said kindly. "He is quite adorable when he sleeps."

Both Regina and Emma grinned at that. R then went on to say, "It seems you are otherwise engaged, though, and I noticed that you have private land." She pointed toward the opposite wall where a door led to the fenced-in backyard. "I was wondering if I might be permitted to go outside."

Regina's heart ached in her chest at the sheer loneliness decorating her younger self's voice. She took a step forward and somewhat awkwardly patted the teenager on the shoulder. "Of course you can. Just don't leave the yard."

"Very well," R answered, offering her future self a soft smile. "Thank you, and thank you again for the meal. It was quite wonderful."

"You are most welcome," Regina replied, "but you have already thanked me, so there is no need to thank me again." She then turned and saw Emma watching the two of them, a huge smile decorating the blonde's face. Regina's own cheeks flushed then, and she quickly said, "I am going to go and coax Henry up to his room."

"Okay," Emma said with a nod. "I'm just gonna finish these dishes, and then I'll probably head out before too long."

Regina said nothing, simply nodding and turning to leave the room. R stared at Emma a moment longer and Emma just smiled at her, finding the girl incredibly sweet and so damn kind that it was almost unreal. "You okay?" the blonde asked after a moment, and R instantly nodded.

"Yes, thank you," the teen replied quickly. "My apologies for staring." She then rocketed toward the door like her pants were on fire and shot out into the yard. Emma just chuckled and went back to the dishes.

* * *

Emma finished up the last two dishes. She dried them off and placed them in the proper cabinets before leaning against the counter and letting out a sigh. She reached up to pull her hair from the wadded knot at the base of her neck that she had bunched it up into before doing the dishes. It cascaded around her shoulders, the familiar scent of her shampoo drifting up to her nose as it fell.

A yawn escaped her as she stretched out her limbs, glancing around Regina's kitchen. The brunette had yet to return from putting Henry to bed, so Emma wasn't quite sure what to do. She didn't want to just slip out without saying goodbye, but she also didn't want to just be standing in the woman's kitchen doing nothing when Regina returned. Her gaze scanned over the large room, and that's when something caught her eye; or rather, some_one_.

Emma moved over to the window and looked out into the backyard. It was dark outside, but the small glass-orb lights dotted throughout Regina's extensive garden ignited the yard with a soft, beautiful glow. Emma smiled tenderly at sight of the teenager seated in the grass in the middle of the yard, R's neck craned back as she looked up at the night sky.

The girl seemed completely lost in the moment as Emma watched her. A moment later, Emma decided to join her, stepping quietly through the door and into the backyard. The night air was cool but not unbearable as she made her way over, her feet making soft swishing sounds in the short grass.

R jumped a bit when Emma dropped down beside her, having been so lost in thought that she hadn't heard the woman approaching. She turned to see Emma smiling softly at her, and it made her stomach flip pleasantly. She ducked her head a bit as she returned the smile, and Emma chuckled softly.

"Hey," Emma said quietly, bumping the girl's shoulder with her own. "You like stargazing?"

"Yes," R answered in a whisper. "Do you?"

"Oh yeah," Emma told her, grinning. She then lay fully down in the grass, her blonde hair fanning out around her. She waited for R to join her, but the girl simply continued to stare back at her. Emma finally just laughed and tugged on the back of R's top. "Lay down."

R's back met the grass gently as she heeded Emma's command and settled into the space beside the blonde. They lay together in silence, just staring up at the dark sky together, speckled with shining white balls of fire. R was surprised by how truly comfortable she felt lying next to this woman she had only just met. It was a lovely feeling.

"You're homesick," Emma whispered after a long moment. She hadn't voiced it as a question. It was simply that she seemed to know and understand.

"Yes," R admitted quietly. "This land is lovely, but it is not home."

"I get that," Emma told her. "I spent a lot of years looking for home. Storybrooke is it for me, but I get that it isn't for you."

"Looking for home?" R inquired, not quite understanding the blonde's words.

"Yeah," Emma answered, her breath coming out in a puff of white fog. "I was a foster kid."

R turned her head, and Emma saw nothing but confusion in the girl's expression. She didn't understand what the term "foster" meant. Emma just chuckled and said, "Oh, right, you have no idea what that is. Um, it just means that I was an orphan."

"Oh," R whispered, the words stinging on her flesh. "My apologies."

Emma shook her head. "No need, kid. It's just part of my past. We all have one, you know?"

"Indeed," R agreed, turning back to stare up at the twinkling stars.

"Sometimes, I used to lie down outside like this when I was kid," Emma said after a long moment, her tone so wistful that it ached in R's chest, "and I would imagine that my parents were up there somewhere, looking down on me. That maybe they couldn't be with me and so they watched over me from up there. It was ridiculous, but it helped."

R's throat felt tight and scratchy. She swallowed thickly to rid herself of the sensation, but it remained. She didn't know what to say, but she felt like she should say something; perhaps something soothing, but what would soothe? How could she express that she related, but in an entirely different way?

After several moments spent toiling over how best to express herself, R whispered, "It is not ridiculous, Emma. I, too, have found solace in the stars, though I must say that while the view here is lovely, it hardly compares to that of home."

"Yeah?" Emma asked. She had been in the Enchanted Forest before, but had never actually taken the chance to look the hell around and absorb the place. The stars hadn't even occurred to her, but thinking back on it now—all that open land and endless sky. She had no doubt that it was incredible.

"Oh yes," R replied quietly. "It is quite breathtaking. I always have to sneak from my home, though, if I am to gaze at the stars. It is a risk I take frequently, because the sight brings me such peace."

"Why do you need it?" Emma asked her then, and R turned to look her, cheek resting against soft blades of grass.

"Why do I need what?" R questioned.

Emma turned and smiled at her. "The peace."

"Oh," R whispered, her stomach dropping. She turned to gaze back up at the sky as she whispered her answer so quietly that Emma had to scoot a little closer to hear it. "My…my mother…" R hesitated for a moment, her eyes clenching closed, and then she took a breath and let it out in a gentle sigh. "Many things," she said simply after a moment, and those two words felt so heavy that Emma struggled to breathe just hearing them.

Neither of them said another word, simply resting in the quiet understanding that they could offer one another, and then Emma felt R's fingers slip over her own where their hands rested in the grass between their bodies. She let the girl hold her hand, understanding that R needed some kind of connection in that moment. Emma squeezed R's hand and hoped that it soothed the teenager, and she thought of Regina, _this_ world's Regina, realizing that it was this girl that Emma had seen in chocolate depths all those times when Regina had dropped her guard and her eyes had grown full and heavy. It was R…hidden deep inside, but very much present.

Some feet away from them and standing just inside the open door frame of the kitchen that led into the backyard stood the very woman Emma thought of. Regina's eyes burned as she listened to the comfortable exchange between Emma and R, and when she watched the Savior's fingers tangle together with those of her younger self, a tear slipped down Regina's cheek and fell away from her. A lump formed in her throat even as her heart swelled to the point of bursting.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

The silence seemed only to grow, enveloping them in an ever-expanding orb of serenity as they lay beneath the cold sky, fingers tangled together and breath escaping in evanescent clouds. Every few seconds, Emma felt R squeeze tightly around her hand and then relax again. She didn't look at the teen, because she didn't want R to feel exposed, but Emma could tell by those gentle and frequent pulses of grip that R was crying.

She felt like R was deliberately trying to hold in her cries, as she hadn't heard a peep—not a gasp or a sob or any other indication.

Without turning to look at the girl, Emma quietly whispered to her. The words escaped in a white fog and then died in the air as it grew colder and thinner around them. "It's okay to cry."

She heard something then. The grass rustled as R's head turned, and then Emma felt eyes on her. She turned to look back at R and offered her a gentle smile despite the fact that the sparkling tracks on the girl's cheeks felt like fissures in Emma's heart.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Emma asked quietly.

She was surprised when instead of words, R answered by touching her. Fingers skated over her cheek and nose, and then R whispered, "I am simply pleased to know that it gets better. I will meet you soon, in _my_ time."

Emma's brows furrowed. R had been crying tears of joy? Because it…gets better. Emma swallowed thickly as bile rose to her throat. Knowing what she knew of Regina's past, Emma felt sick to her stomach at the hopeful look in this girl's eyes, and she was completely shocked when a rage unlike any she had felt in a long time began to brew and bubble deep in her gut. In that moment, looking into those innocent eyes begging her for a spark of hope, Emma wanted to rip the entire world apart and put it back together so that this precious person never felt any pain.

At the confused expression on Emma's face, R giggled and said, "I apologize. I assumed that given Henry's age…"

"He's almost fourteen," Emma whispered breathlessly, the pieces beginning to fit together so that she understood what R was saying.

R smiled a little more brightly at the news, her tears only making her eyes all the more beautiful. "That would have given me eighteen years during the time of his birth if I have thirty-two in this time, which means that you and I shall meet quite soon, yes?"

Emma's eyes stung horribly and she blinked rapidly to try to quell the urge to cry. Before she could answer, though, R popped out another excited question.

"How did we meet?" Her cheeks flushed sweetly in the moonlight then as she lowered her voice to a whisper and asked, "Did you think I was beautiful when you first saw me?"

Emma's throat felt tight and scratchy as she tried to think of how to reply, but then she just decided that it was probably best to tell the truth. She let out a staggered sigh as she whispered, "Yes, I thought you were beautiful." R squeezed her hand tightly and a new smile erupted on her face when Emma went on to say, "You _are _beautiful."

R scooted a little closer to Emma then, and the blonde's heart began to race. She needed to pull away. It wasn't a good idea to let R get attached to her or to even let her think that there was something between them when there wasn't. It was a mistake not to have made it clear to her that she and Regina were not together and never had been. They needed to explain everything to her, and simply tell her the truth so that R wasn't hoping for something that would never happen.

But then…

"Were you my first kiss, Emma?"

* * *

"I…uh, well I…You see…You and-" Emma stuttered through the beginnings of several thoughts, because for some reason, the truths that had so willingly and readily been on the tip of her tongue just a moment ago now violently protested being put to voice. What was worse was that she didn't even really _know _the truth other than the fact that no, she had not been Regina's first kiss. She didn't know who_ was_, though. She assumed it was Daniel, but it wasn't like Regina had ever sat her down for some hot chocolate, hair braiding, and girl talk and spilled the beans about her first kiss.

And just saying no? That seemed even worse. If she had a story to add to it, a way to lessen the blow, a way to explain, then maybe it wouldn't be so terrible. But she didn't. She didn't have a story to tell. Any story would be a lie, and if she was willing to lie about _that_ then why not just tell R that she _was _her first kiss? A lie was a lie, right?

Emma had never made a habit of lying, but in this one moment, it seemed like the most attractive thing in the world.

She was aware that she shouldn't, though. Lying wouldn't help anyone, and neither would simply omitting the facts. It would only make things more complicated, maybe even harder, when everything came to light; _if _everything came to light. Wouldn't it?

She sucked in a sharp breath, preparing to let this smiling, hopeful girl down with a simple two-letter word that somehow had the power to break hearts and bodies and entire worlds. When she opened her mouth to speak, though, all that came out was a puff of air that sounded a lot like, "Yes."

R's smile rivaled the brilliance of the full glowing moon as soon as that single word slipped through Emma's lips, and Emma's heart jumped pleasantly before sinking into the acidic pit of her stomach and burning torturously. What the hell had she just done?

R scooted even closer to Emma then, so close that their noses were nearly bumping and Emma could feel the heat of the teen's breath against her cheeks and chin. "I knew it," the girl whispered happily, and Emma's heart only burned hotter, more painfully.

"R," Emma began, but R let out a soft sigh and interrupted.

"Please," the girl said quietly, "in this moment, might you address me by my true name?"

Emma closed her eyes tightly and took a deep, steadying breath. She needed to find a way out of this. She needed to put some distance between herself and R. She needed to figure things out. She needed to think about what she'd just done and figure out how to rectify it. She needed so many things in that moment.

Emma nodded, her eyes still closed, and then she felt R's breath on her lips. Emma's eyes shot open and her hand jolted up between them and pressed gently against R's lips to keep the girl from kissing her. Emma sat up so fast that it made her head spin, not wanting to see the look of confusion or shock or downright disappointment that was undoubtedly marring R's precious features.

"R," she croaked out before clearing her throat and correcting herself. "_Regina…_I can't. I'm sorry. Please…try to understand." Without waiting for a response or even looking back at the teen because Emma didn't think she could bear it, the blonde jumped to her feet and took off toward the house, her eyes fixed on the ground all the way.

* * *

Emma shot through the back door and into the mansion's kitchen. She was intent on getting to the foyer, getting her keys, and getting the hell out of there as quickly as possible because her skin was positively crawling. What she had just done and what it had nearly led to were already haunting her as if they were dusty mistakes dancing in the taunting memories of her past and never letting her rest. Those always seemed to hurt the worst.

She didn't understand why she was so affected, but she was.

If she thought on it, Emma knew it was because of Regina—_this _world's Regina. Maybe she didn't know _all_ the reasons why or even why those reasons seemed to get so far under her skin that she could feel them in her blood, but she definitely knew _that _much.

It was the difference, she thought. It was the startling contrast between the hope in R's eyes and the haunt in Regina's. It was the fact that the former had fizzled out and no longer danced in chocolate depths. It was the fact that the latter existed at all.

It was the fact that Emma had now been the cause of both looks in some small or grand way at a given point.

She raced through the kitchen, not even paying attention to anything around her, but then Emma's blood ran cold at the sound of a voice she really did not want to hear in that moment.

"You lied to her."

Emma skidded to a stop, her hand coming up to grip onto the edge of the kitchen island. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and letting that horrible sinking feeling spread throughout her entire body. She couldn't dismantle it. It seemed to have infiltrated her entire system in that moment.

And then she turned around.

The former queen was pressed against the cabinets to the immediate right of the back door. That's why Emma hadn't seen her when she had shot into the kitchen. Regina must have been watching her interaction with R. She must have heard…everything.

Regina's expression was hard to read, which surprised Emma. She expected anger. She expected rage. She expected so many things, but she never expected such gentle conflict—only a slight edge of confusion dancing in those deep, dark eyes. She never expected Regina to look at her this way, in the wake of a lie that had the power to break a heart; to look at her as if that lie, instead, had the power to heal one.

"Yeah," Emma choked out. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" Regina asked, her voice scratchy and quiet, and Emma wondered if the brunette had been crying.

"Because I shouldn't have," Emma answered, and Regina shook her head in response.

Regina's heart felt as if it was expanding to fill her entire body as she pushed off the counter and moved closer to Emma. "No," she whispered, looking deeply into those emerald eyes. "Why did you lie…about my first kiss?"

Emma's pulse became rapid and shallow as Regina moved so close to her that the woman's familiar scent seeped into her and made her shiver. "I don't know," she croaked, honestly. Her eyes burned intensely, and Emma hated that she had this ridiculous urge to sob. "She just…you…"

Emma let out of a hard huff of air as she felt Regina's hand settle around her forearm. She closed her eyes and quietly whispered. "She just looked so hopeful. I couldn't be the person that took that from her. I couldn't…I'm sorry."

"Emma," Regina whispered, her fingers tightening around the blonde's arm. Regina's own eyes burned at the sincerity in Emma's words. "Look at me."

Emma took several breaths before she finally opened her eyes. She felt breathless and weightless when chocolate eyes shined at her, and Regina's lips parted to quietly say, "Thank you."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

_Emma took several breaths before she finally opened her eyes. She felt breathless and weightless when chocolate eyes shined at her, and Regina's lips parted to quietly say, "Thank you."_

* * *

Emma gasped softly and searched Regina's eyes. "You're not mad?"

Regina smiled slowly, almost painfully it seemed, at her. "How can I be?" she asked, her voice so soft that Emma barely detected the gentle cracks in its melody.

"Because I lied," Emma whispered.

"But you lied to protect m—to protect _her_," Regina replied with a gentle sigh.

Emma smiled, her eyes watery. "She _is _you, Regina. So, it was to protect _you_."

Regina dropped her gaze then, her eyes devouring the floor, and Emma felt her heart clench in her chest. "Did I say something wrong?" the blonde asked.

Regina's head shook from side to side. Her hand remained wrapped around Emma's forearm, and when she finally looked up, her glossy eyes sucked the breath right out of Emma's lungs. "No," the brunette whispered. "You said exactly the right thing."

Emma's hand shot out of its own accord and her thumb caught Regina's first tear as it crested her eyelid and fell. She wiped it away and chuckled softly. "What, no cutting remark about that being a first?" she asked quietly.

Regina laughed in a wet whisper, a watery smile slipping across her elegant features.

They took one tiny step toward one another, neither even realizing that the other had moved. Their gazes never wavered as they took in one another, both emerald and chocolate blown wide and dancing with uncertainty and yearning.

"Oh."

Regina and Emma jerked away from one another at the sudden sound of R's voice. The teen stood just inside the door of the kitchen, having just come in from the back yard. Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were streaked with dampness that glistened in the kitchen lights, evidence that she had been crying. Seeing as much made Emma want to crawl in a hole and disappear.

Before Emma or Regina could utter a word, R lowered her head and bit out a quick, "Apologies," before zipping right by them and toward the living room.

"Fuck," Emma muttered, her chest aching terribly as she watched her go. "I did this."

"I will talk to her," Regina said quietly, but Emma quickly put up a hand to stop her.

"I should do it," the blonde said, sighing. "I shouldn't have tried to run."

"She isn't your responsibility," Regina replied, trying to make Emma feel better in some small way.

"Whose responsibility is she then?" Emma asked, turning to look at the brunette. "Yours? It doesn't have to be that way. She came out of that ripple right as I was passing by. I don't think that was coincidence, do you?"

Regina looked away from the blonde as she whispered, "No."

Emma nodded. "So maybe she's both our responsibility. Either way, I'm the one who hurt her feelings. I should be the one to talk to her."

"Very well," Regina answered after a moment.

Emma sniffed as she swiped quickly at her eyes. She moved to the edge of the kitchen, just inside the frame that led into the foyer. She turned back and chuckled softly as she locked gazes with Regina. "You can eavesdrop again if you want."

Regina's cheeks burned as they shaded a deep crimson. "Well," she said, clearing her throat, "it _is my _house."

Emma just grinned before turning and heading out of the kitchen and toward the living room.

* * *

Emma found R seated on the large couch in the living room, her arms crossed over her chest and her head bowed down against them.

"Hey," Emma greeted quietly. When R didn't look up or answer, the blonde swallowed thickly and tried again. "Can I sit with you?"

R didn't say anything for a long time, but then she whispered, "Yes."

Emma slowly made her way around to the front of the couch, and just before she sat down, she glanced up to see Regina standing quietly some distance away from them, just watching. Emma smiled at her, a small smile, a sad one, and then she dropped onto the couch beside R.

"You're mad at me," Emma whispered after a long moment.

R simply shook her head back and forth, just as the elder version of her had done in the kitchen earlier.

Emma sighed. "Upset? Sad?"

R didn't shake her head to that one. She merely shrugged one shoulder without looking up, and that was how Emma determined that she had guessed correctly. Before the blonde could reply, though, R suddenly turned and looked at her, tears streaking down her cheeks, and asked, "Why did you not wish to kiss me?"

Emma sighed heavily again and swiped a hand down her face. She scratched at the back of her neck as she struggled to find the right words. "Did you really want me to ruin your first kiss?"

"How could you have ruined my first kiss," R asked, "if my first is meant to be with you anyway? Would it not have been the same?"

"No," Emma answered her, shaking her head and reaching out a hand. She turned her hand over, palm up and left it open, hoping R would take it. The teen didn't move a muscle, but Emma kept her hand open anyway. "It _wouldn't _have been the same, R."

R's brows furrowed, and Emma tried to better explain. "There's a…a _magic _that happens with your first kiss, you know?"

"There was magic?" R asked, eyes widening with her surprise.

"No, no," Emma said quickly, chuckling, "not _actual _magic. I meant more like a magical moment. It's special, your first kiss."

"Special how?"

"I don't know," Emma told her honestly, shrugging. "It just _is. _You can't ever have your first kiss again. You can't recreate it, and that's what kissing you would have done. It would have recreated your first kiss, and then you never would have gotten to experience the real one."

"The one that _you _remember?" R asked, needing clarification.

Emma closed her eyes tightly as she nodded, not wanting R to see the lie in her eyes. "And trust me," she choked out, "you don't want to miss that one."

R smiled softly, her chocolate eyes sparkling with the wetness that had gathered there. "Was it wonderful?"

"Yeah, it was," Emma whispered, her chest aching in a way that she couldn't quite understand. "It really was."

"Did it take your breath away?"

Emma felt like she had pins and needles pricking along her flesh as she swallowed roughly and nodded. "Totally."

"Would you tell me about it?" R asked sweetly, and Emma nearly cried when she felt the teen's fingers finally slip between hers and squeeze.

Emma shook her head. "It should be a surprise," she told the teen, her throat tight and itching.

R's smile only grew as she finally nodded and said, "Very well." She then thoroughly surprised Emma by launching into the blonde's arms and wrapping her in a tight embrace.

Emma let out a soft, nearly silent sigh as she let her arms come up and around the girl, and when R whispered, "I look forward to it," Emma glanced to the place where Regina had been only to find that the brunette was gone. She nodded against R's shoulder and quietly said, "Me too."

* * *

"Will you be alright?" Regina asked as she sat on the edge of the bed in the guest room and looked down at her younger self.

R was tucked in tightly. Her eyes showed her uncertainty even as she nodded. "It is strange," she said quietly. "I have never spent a night away from home."

Regina smiled softly at her. "I know."

"I _am _an adult, though," R said after a moment, and Regina had to bite into her lip to keep from grinning. Despite all the time that had passed and the darkness that had grown around her and inside her since she was this age, Regina could still perfectly remember being sixteen. She had been so full of life and hope, even on her worst days, and while she had been quite an accomplished student and rider, she had also been quite naive and timid. It was the way her mother had wanted her to be, and thus, she was. She had been both wild and reserved, both bold and shy, both longing for and yet afraid of adventure. "So, I am not afraid, if that is what you think."

Regina barely kept her expression neutral as she nodded, patted R's blanket-covered thigh, and said, "Of course not, dear." She then cleared her throat and added, "Should you need anything, though, my room is only just down the hall."

"Oh no," R said, shaking her head. "I would not wish to disturb you or Emma."

Regina didn't even want to contemplate the way her heart raced at the image that such a statement instantly caused to materialize inside her mind. She swallowed thickly as her cheeks flamed, and nodded. She had to clear her throat to manage a smooth, "Goodnight dear," before quickly rising and darting out of the room, flicking off the light and closing the door behind her.

When she stepped into the hallway, Regina was surprised to find Emma there waiting for her.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I meant to put this in an earlier Author's Note, but I forgot, so I want to take a moment to send out a big thank you to quinnfabrai on tumblr for the incredible cover art for this little story. Enjoy this new chapter! XO-Chrmdpoet**

Chapter Ten

Regina folded her arms over her chest and took a step toward Emma, though she kept at a healthy distance from her. Her gaze darted around the hallway and then back to Emma, unsure of what exactly they were doing.

Emma simply leaned against the wall across from Regina and watched the brunette. When Regina noticed that Emma was smirking, the woman finally blurted, "What?"

Emma chuckled softly. "So, now we share a son, a mansion, _and _a room?"

"I should have known you would be eavesdropping," Regina replied, rolling her eyes and keeping her arms locked over her chest. It was almost as if she was attempting to recoil and close herself up, protect her heart from any touch, any invasion.

"To be fair," Emma said, grinning, "you did it first."

"As I said," Regina countered, "it's _my _house; thus, I have the right to eavesdrop if I choose to."

"According to R, it's _our _house," Emma laughed out, "so doesn't that mean that _I _have the right to eavesdrop, too?"

"R does not make the rules," Regina told her. "_I _do."

"Yeah, okay," Emma said, nodding, "but she kind of _is _you, so wouldn't that mean that what she says goes also?"

Regina opened her mouth to quickly retort, but then snapped it shut a second later as she realized that the blonde had a valid point. Still, Regina arched a brow a moment later in challenge and said, "No, it does not."

"Why not?" Emma asked, obviously amused. "Because you said so?"

Regina let out a sigh as she tightened her arms over her chest. "Because _that _version of me still believes in ridiculous things. No one with that sort of mentality should be making rules or decisions for others."

"Ridiculous things, huh?" Emma asked her. "Like what?"

Regina huffed, annoyed. "Miss Swan, is there a reason you are lingering in my hallway other than eavesdropping, or are you simply here to ask pointless questions and annoy me?"

"Like True Love?" Emma asked, ignoring Regina's snippy outburst. "Happy endings?"

Chocolate eyes closed tightly as Regina swallowed thickly.

Emma pushed off the wall and took a step closer to the woman. "Are those the _ridiculous _things that she believes in that you don't?"

"Yes," Regina whispered as she finally reopened her eyes and locked gazes with the blonde moving ever closer to her.

"You know those are _real _things," Emma told her, smiling almost sadly at the brunette. "You've seen them. I'm the living, breathing _result _of them. They aren't ridiculous, Regina. They're real, and you know it."

Regina felt as if she was drowning in the emerald sea of Emma's eyes as her throat burned and her chest ached. "Not for me," she whispered so quietly that the words were hardly more than breath.

"Regina," Emma began, but Regina shook her head and moved away from her.

"I'm going to bed, Miss Swan," she said softly. She didn't meet Emma's gaze as she turned and headed toward her room.

Emma let out a sigh, shrugged, and then began to follow her.

Regina whipped around when she realized that Emma was following her. She stopped just in front of her bedroom door and arched a brow at the blonde. "What exactly do you think you are doing?"

"Going to bed," Emma told her, grinning.

"This is _my _room," Regina countered, that brow practically disappearing into her hair.

"Well, it's going to be _our _room tonight," Emma laughed out.

Regina scoffed. "What the hell are you talking about?" She glanced down the hallway as she realized that she had raised her voice. When she heard and saw no children stirring, Regina brought her gaze back to Emma. "You have your own home to sleep in."

"It's late," Emma told her, almost whining.

"Fine," Regina bit out. "I have two extra guest rooms besides the one that R is currently occupying. Do help yourself if you must."

"Eh," Emma said, still grinning in that way that made Regina's heart race while simultaneously setting her teeth on edge. "I don't know." She swayed from side to side as she stood just across from Regina, enjoying herself entirely too much. "R thinks we're together. You heard what she said about not wanting to _disturb _us in _our _room. Wouldn't it just be easier to keep up appearances and let her think what she wants to think than explain the truth to her?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "We can do that without actually sleeping together, dear."

"But what if she does actually get up in the middle of the night and come down here?" Emma argued. "How are you going to explain me sleeping in the guest room instead of with you?"

"I will tell her that we had a disagreement," Regina countered, shrugging it off.

"Oh come on!" Emma hissed. "She thinks we have one of those great fairytale romances. You really want her to think that she grows up to marry someone she can't even stand to be in the same bed with?"

Regina's stomach lurched uncomfortably as the haunting truth that she actually _had _been forced into a marriage with someone she could not stand to be in the same bed with flitted through her mind. As long ago as that had been, Regina could still feel the ghost of Leopold on her flesh sometimes. It made her loathe the long, sleepless nights with a fury that crept into her dreams.

She gulped down the bile that had risen in her throat at the thought and found herself nodding. "Fine," she managed to choke out. She then turned sharply on her heel, threw open the door to her bedroom and stepped inside. "But you are sleeping on the floor," she added as she made her way toward her large walk-in closet.

Emma chuckled as she stepped over the threshold and into Regina's massive master bedroom. "No I'm not," she sing-songed as she looked around.

"What was that?" Regina snapped back at her, turning back to the blonde so that Emma could see that wicked arch in her brow again.

"Nothing," Emma told her, grinning. "Got something I can sleep in?" She grabbed the bedroom door and clicked it closed behind her before following Regina further into the room.

On the other side of the door, in the quiet hallway, Henry's sleepy face popped out from behind his own bedroom door. His eyes narrowed in the direction of his mother's bedroom as he scratched at his wild hair. Had Emma really just gone to bed with his mom?

"Interesting," Henry muttered to himself, the tiny cogs in his brain already turning.

* * *

Emma and Regina lay stiffly atop Regina's bed, each as far from the other as possible. Neither one of them could sleep, so they took to staring at Regina's ceiling through the dark. When Regina heard Emma's soft chuckling, she sighed exasperatedly.

"What is so amusing, Miss Swan?"

Emma chuckled again and smugly said, "I knew you wouldn't _really _make me sleep on the floor."

Regina rolled her eyes in the dark. "Oh, I would have," she countered. "I merely did not wish to hear your incessant whining."

"When have I ever whined incessantly?" Emma challenged, turning to look at the brunette. She could just make out Regina's rigid jawline and the fluttering movement of the woman's eyelashes as she blinked in the dark.

"Shall I count the times, dear?"

"Oh seriously," Emma scoffed. "Name _one _time."

"When you threw a temper tantrum on the ship on the way to Neverland and jumped overboard just to prove a point," Regina said after mulling it over for a minute.

"Okay, first of all, it was _not _a temper tantrum," Emma told her. "It was the only way I could get anybody's attention since the rest of you were acting like idiots and punching each other."

"Your _mother _started—"

"SECOND of all," Emma said, cutting Regina off, "how does that even come close to qualifying as 'whining'? Don't you have to actually be verbally bitching about something in order for it count as whining?"

"No," Regina said simply, and Emma just rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"Alright, Regina," she said. "Whatever you say."

Another long, awkward silence grew between them as they went back to staring up at the ceiling. Regina closed her eyes and listened to the gentle sounds of Emma's shallow breathing for a while, and then without even realizing what she was doing, her own voice whispered into the quiet air again to break the silence.

"Were you really going to kiss her?"

Emma rolled onto her side to face Regina, her heart beginning to pound beneath her ribs. "R?" she asked almost breathlessly.

Regina didn't say anything in response, but Emma saw the woman's head nod slowly in the dark.

"No," Emma told her after several long, deep breaths. "I wasn't."

Regina surprised her then by rolling over to face her as well. A massive stretch of the mattress still rested coldly between them, but the fact that they were curled beneath a common cover and watching one another in the dark somehow felt so incredibly intimate.

"You weren't?" Regina asked, her tone disbelieving.

"I wasn't," Emma repeated, her own tone completely sincere.

Regina swallowed thickly before whispering, "Did you _want _to?"

Emma's answer was almost immediate. "No."

Regina was shocked by the way that single word stung on her flesh and in her heart. "Oh," she replied quietly.

"Not because of _her,_" Emma then said, trying to find Regina's dark gaze in the shadows of the quiet room. She scooted an inch or two toward the center of the bed, hoping Regina wouldn't freak out or tell her to scoot back. When she didn't, Emma scooted another inch and said, "Well, it was _kind of_ because of her."

"What do you mean?" Regina asked, her breath growing shallow in her lungs as she felt the mattress shake and dip with each movement the blonde made.

Emma sighed and rubbed a hand down her face before tucking it under the pillow beneath her cheek. "She's only sixteen," Emma told her. "I'm twice her age. So, there's that, I guess, and well…"

"Well what?" Regina asked, and she held her breath as Emma scooted yet another inch closer.

"She only wants me," Emma told her, "because she _thinks _she's supposed to, but even if it was real, even if it was genuine, I couldn't go there with her."

Regina closed her eyes and braved scooting an inch over, herself.

Emma's heartbeat became rapid as she felt Regina shift closer to her. "She's not there yet," the blonde continued. "You know what I mean?"

Regina shook her head against her pillow. "No."

"She's not _there_," Emma said again. "She hasn't experienced enough. She hasn't…"

"What?" Regina asked, desperate to hear what it was that the blonde was holding back.

Emma let out a sigh that sounded almost sad. "She hasn't suffered yet," she finally said. "I mean, she _has, _but not in the ways that _you _have."

Regina was shocked by this bit of information. "And that's a _bad _thing?" she asked.

"No," Emma told her. "It just makes her incompatible with me, because god knows I've suffered. I need someone who understands that. I need someone…" Her voice cracked as she inched even closer to Regina, until they were sharing the same pillow.

"Someone who has suffered as much as you have," Regina finished for her in a breathless whisper.

Emma nodded and let out another sad sigh, the breath hitting Regina's cheeks in a hot puff. "Yeah," she whispered. "Someone like you."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I actually wrote the first drabble/section of this chapter to a soundtrack. If you would like to give a try, I would encourage you to do so. It's a gorgeous song that I think enhances this beginning scene beautifully. I wrote this to a soundtrack of "Petrichor" by Keaton Henson, featuring Ren Ford. Enjoy! XO-Chrmdpoet**

Chapter Eleven

_Emma nodded and let out another sad sigh, the breath hitting Regina's cheeks in a hot puff. "Yeah," she whispered. "Someone like you."_

* * *

Regina sucked in a sharp breath. Emma's face was close enough now to hers that she could clearly see the features previously hidden within the shadows of the room. She could see the conflict of competing emotions swirling in Emma's eyes, which somehow remained bright even in the darkness.

"Emma…" she whispered softly, the syllables dancing over Emma's nose in a rush of warm breath. "What are we doing?"

Emma's heart raced beneath her ribs. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "I…I don't know."

Regina's eyes snapped tightly shut when she felt Emma's fingertips collide with her own beneath the sheet as if the blonde's hand had been slowly inching toward hers for years and had finally arrived. She let herself be touched, turning her hand slowly over and allowing Emma to tangle their fingers together in the small space between their bodies.

That single physical connection felt like a revelation, a gift of comfort offered freely and without condition. The raw truth of that simple touch quaked in Regina's bones as if the gods themselves had shaken her between their fists, shaken her soul loose from the cage she had kept it in for decades.

Dark eyes fluttered slowly open again, and Regina's breath was siphoned from her lungs as the smallest hint of a smile pulled at the shadowed corner of Emma's mouth. Regina swallowed thickly and quietly said, "Just yesterday, we were barely friends."

Emma's smile only grew, but it grew in increments—slow, almost as if it wasn't deliberate. Regina's trembling voice and delicate fingers drew it out of her, and so she smiled, and she shook her head gently against Regina's pillow. "I think we both know that that isn't true," she whispered.

Regina held her gaze, and her tongue felt thick in her mouth as she asked, "It isn't?"

"We've been a lot of things to each other," Emma answered quietly, "in a short amount of time."

"Mm," Regina hummed in agreement, never letting go of Emma's gaze. She had latched herself to the truths growing steadily more and more visible in those sparkling depths.

"Strangers," Emma whispered. "Acquaintances."

"Obstacles," Regina added softly, squeezing Emma's fingers tightly.

Emma chuckled against the sheet of Regina's pillow as she nodded. "Co-workers," the blonde then added, and Regina pursed her lips almost playfully.

"Not quite," Regina told her, "but close enough." Emma's smile arrested her in that moment, and Regina offered one of her own in return, a genuine one that Emma knew to be a true and precious rarity.

Emma squeezed Regina's hand before releasing it and letting her fingers trail up to the woman's wrist, stroking timidly but deliberately as she then glided up over Regina's forearm, her bicep, her shoulder, and then rested atop her collarbone. Her fingertips were just visible, peeking out from beneath the sheet. She held Regina's gaze as she whispered, "Painful reminders of hard realities," and Regina felt her eyes begin to sting.

"Yes," the brunette agreed in a barely-there hiss of breath. Her body trembled beneath Emma's touch, and while Regina didn't quite know how to interpret or even comprehend what it was that was building now between them, she found she had no need to. She had never felt more present in her entire life, so aware of every minute release of breath, so deeply in tune with every beat in her chest. It was the most alive she had felt in many long, hollow years.

She brought her own hand up to rest gently over Emma's, both now laid atop her collarbone, feeling the steady rise and fall of her every breath. "Allies," she said after a long moment of silence.

"But never enemies," Emma finished solemnly. "Even when we were at each other's throats, even when we went after one another so viciously, attacking, sabotaging…and hell, even _cursing_. Did you ever feel it beneath the surface?"

"Feel what?" Regina asked. "Hatred?"

"Yeah."

Regina let the reality of Emma's words, the reality that her words _implied, _sink in, and she found a truth in them that made her heart clench tightly in her chest. "No," she finally whispered honestly.

"What did you feel?" Emma asked her, her own pulse dancing rapidly as she felt Regina's flutter so near her fingertips. They were on the precipice of something that neither could exactly define, and for the first time in her life, Emma was not afraid of it. She didn't feel like she was nearing the edge of an unknown abyss. She felt, instead, like she was on the verge of discovering something she had long sought, perhaps even without realizing it.

Regina didn't know why she allowed herself to be so raw in that moment, so open and vulnerable, and to a woman she had long struggled against, but she did. Maybe it was the quiet stillness of her bedroom in the night. Maybe it was Emma's steady hand resting so near her unsteady heart. Maybe it was merely that it was easier to be open in the dark.

Maybe it was the fact that of all the things she and Emma had ever been to one another, the most glaring and honest of all was as simple and as complex as a single word—_destiny_.

Regina licked her dry lips as she held Emma's gaze. "Fear," she admitted. "It was always fear, even when I intended to curse you."

Emma's eyes grew soft and warm as she nodded. "Maybe, sometimes, we fear the things we might need the most."

"You think I need you?" Regina asked, and it wasn't harsh. It wasn't hard. It wasn't angry or accusatory or even mocking. It was simple and quiet, an honest question that seemed to linger in the air between them.

Emma closed her eyes for only a moment, sucking in a gentle breath. It was hard to be this open with her emotions. It had never been something she had enjoyed or even been good at, but this felt important. It felt right. "Maybe," she began again, opening her eyes once more to lock gazes with Regina in the dark. "Maybe we need each other."

Regina's throat and chest felt tight as she let those words sink in. "Why now?" she asked.

Emma shrugged then, their stacked hands slipping up to cup gently along the curve of Regina's slender neck. "Why not?" she countered almost breathlessly.

"I need to know," Regina told her, and it was true. She feared that perhaps they were becoming wrapped up in a quiet moment, a moment made for romance but perhaps wasn't made for them despite how genuine it felt. "Is it because of R?"

Emma was silent a long moment as she let that question roll around inside her head. "I don't know," she finally answered. "I really don't. I think she definitely opened my eyes a bit, but I also think that whatever this is has been building between us for a while. Maybe we just couldn't get over ourselves long enough to actually see it."

"Emma," Regina whispered. "You know I am not her. I am not that sweet, innocent girl anymore. I…I have been every bit the monster that I am claimed to be."

Emma's eyes stung horribly at the raw agony that seemed to dust Regina's voice when she spoke those words. She scooted just an inch nearer so that she could feel the heat of Regina's body radiate over and melt into her own. She let her hand slide up a bit higher and then higher still until she was cupping Regina's cheek. She swiped her thumb along the woman's jaw before latching onto Regina's hand and pulling it over to rest it atop her own cheek.

Regina's breath stilled in her lungs as she touched Emma's face with reverence and felt Emma's hand return to her cheek as well. They touched one another hesitantly, but they touched still, fingertips gliding over expressions in the dark, and when Regina's thumb trailed over Emma's bottom lip, she felt the blonde's words as they vibrated out and into the quiet air.

"Sometimes, all it takes is a little light," Emma whispered against Regina's touch, "and the monsters just disappear."

* * *

Henry poked his head out of his bedroom and glanced carefully around the hall. He listened for sounds throughout the house, but heard nothing, which meant he was the first person awake just as he had planned to be; it was the whole reason he had gotten up before the sun. Any later and his adoptive mother would have undoubtedly been up as well.

Regina typically let him sleep in on the weekends, so it was almost a guarantee that she wouldn't be in to check on him until at least nine, so he had plenty of time to complete his desired task. The only problem was getting out and then back in without being noticed. Thankfully, it seemed that the getting-out part would be pretty simple since he was the only one yet awake.

Henry stepped out of his room, already fully dressed, and darted toward the stairs as quietly and quickly as possible. He made his way down, careful to avoid making any noise, and when he hit the landing, a triumphant grin blasted across his lips. Sometimes, it was just _too _easy.

"Oh, good morning, Henry."

_Or not. _

Henry's body froze in place even as his head whipped to the side to see the teenage version of his mother seated on the living room sofa in the still-mostly dark living room. It was honestly a little creepy. The television wasn't on and neither were the lights. R was literally just sitting there in the dark, dressed in a set of his mother's silky pajamas, alone and quiet.

"Uh…hey R," he said. "What are you doing up?"

R smiled at him as Henry finally moved and made his way over to the couch to take a seat beside her. "Oh, I am always up rather early," she told him. "I take it you are as well?" Her smile then widened as she said, "You _are _my son after all."

Henry laughed awkwardly and shook his head. "No, actually," he answered. "I usually sleep in until Mom makes me get up."

"I see," R replied softly. "Why is today an exception then?"

"Er…" Henry hesitated. He didn't know if he could trust R enough to tell her his plan, because honestly, the younger version of his mother seemed like a real goody two-shoes, which was just comical if he really thought about it. Still, he was pretty sure that R would squeal on him, so maybe it would be best to postpone his plan. That was going to make it pretty hard to get away with when he finally could execute it, but Henry didn't see a better way of accomplishing what he intended. "I just couldn't sleep. Bad dreams."

"Oh," R said quietly, her smile growing sad. She hesitated only a moment before reaching out and sliding her arm around Henry's shoulders. She patted him as she confessed, "I have them as well."

Henry actually felt an ache develop in his chest at the somber expression on his young mother's face. So, he quickly jumped to his feet and held out his hand to her. "Well, since we're both up, you wanna make breakfast?"

R took his hand and rose gracefully from the couch. "Do you know how to cook?"

"Uh…" Henry grinned at her. "Sure. Let's go."

"Very well," R answered, excitement now evident in her voice. "May I use the bread machine again?"

Henry giggled as he pulled her toward the kitchen. "The toaster?"

"Yes, yes, the _toaster_," R replied happily. "I find it quite exhilarating."

"Even better, R," Henry told her. "I'll let you use the _stove_."


End file.
